


our let-it-be

by notsylvia



Series: to all the countries i've loved before [2]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Again, Angst?, Based on a Vocaloid Song, F/M, I'm crying, Other, Reader is happy, another one of those rebirth epilogues!!!, but i was the one who put him through this, do you get the irony?, i feel bad for germany, i made this listening to love story by taylor swift, i wrote this when i was feeling a lot of germany feels, i'm fucking sleep deprived, if you even know what that song is lmao, it's there, our let-it-be, reader is french honhonhon, reader's cheery, sylvia sucks at summaries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2018-09-21
Packaged: 2019-07-15 02:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16053428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notsylvia/pseuds/notsylvia
Summary: after learning that his wife doesn't have too long to live, ludwig accompanies her on her journey to tick off her bucket list, pushing the thought of his wife leaving to the back to his mind. along the way, both him and his wife goes back to familiar places and meet familiar faces, saying one last goodbye.the goodbye that hurt the most was the one his wife gave him.





	our let-it-be

"hey, luddy," (name)'s soft voice called out.  
  
"yes?" ludwig responded, turning to look at her.  
  
"do you believe in rebirth?" she asked.  
  
"why would you ask such a question?"  
  
"just curious."  
  
"...you know i don't believe in such things, (name)."  
  
"oh. okay then..." her voice trailed off. "well, i should get to preparing dinner! i'll inform you when it's done!" she chirped as she skipped out of the room and into the kitchen. ludwig watched her leaving form.  
  
(name) had been a little unusual lately and ludwig was quick to realise that. she seems distant. almost like she was always thinking and she looked more...sad...sadder than usual. and now she just asked a weird question. ludwig thought maybe it was because it was that time of month for her, as she usually displayed similar behaviours when it was the time of the month. but he also had her cycle memorised, being with her for nearly 10 years, and he knew that she was definitely not on her period.  
  
so begs the question, what happened to (name)?  
  
sighing, he decided that he was going ask (name) about it. getting up from his chair, he tidied up his desk before heading out of his office. walking to the kitchen, he turned the corner to see (name) working around in the kitchen, making dinner for the both of them.  
  
"liebe," ludwig called out to (name) who was in the kitchen.  
  
"hm?" she answered.  
  
"can i ask you something?" he asked, taking a seat at the dining table which was facing the kitchen.  
  
"sure, fire away."  
  
"you have been acting really strangely lately...is something wrong?" he inquired, trying to keep his voice as gentle as possible. he could see (name) tense up and stop what she was doing completely. ludwig got up and walked over to her. "you can tell me..." he said, trying to assure her. "i won't...suddenly leave you or anything..." he added, albeit awkwardly. (name) twirled around to face him.  
  
"let's take a seat," she spoke as she went to sit at the dining table with ludwig following behind.  
  
(name) sighed as she readied herself to speak. the air between the couple was tense and it hasn't been in a very long time. ludwig felt it as well and he was also getting a little nervous himself.  
  
"i..." she took a deep breath. "i went to the doctor for my usual checkup last week." ludwig nodded, following along. "he found out," her voice quivered as she looked down at her fidgeting palms. "that i have lung cancer," she finished in a shaky voice. ludwig could only stare at her as she began to silently cry. he got up from his seat across her and knelt beside her. taking a sigh, he tried to smile as he placed a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"we'll work through this together," he assured, rubbing circles on her back as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. she mumbled "i'm sorry"s into his shoulder as she cried.  
  
they stayed like this for a while.  
  
~  
  
(name) kicked open the door to their hotel room as she threw her luggage onto the floor and threw herself onto the bed. she rolled onto her back. "ludwig! join me!" she beamed as she rolling to one side and patted the side of the bed beside her.  
  
"don't you want to unpack first?" ludwig questioned, looking at her.  
  
"it's fine! we can always unpack tomorrow!" she said. "besides, i already super tired, all i want to do is to sleep."  
  
the two of them stared at each other for a while before ludwig broke the staring contest and sighed. "alright fine," he spoke.  
  
"yay!" she beamed, smiling brightly. ludwig sighed in defeat as he began to undo his shirt and threw it into a random corner. he laid down on the side beside (name) and stared straight up at the ceiling.  
  
"whatcha looking at?" she asked as she shifted closer to her husband, following his gaze. "the ceiling looks nice."  
  
"i'm just...i'm just thinking about..." his voice trailed off, shifting his eyes to look at her and moving to lay on his side. his wife let out a happy sigh as she nuzzled herself into his chest.  
  
"don't stress yourself out too much, this is the time to just sit back and enjoy the moment," she mumbled into his chest. "after all, we don't have time to worry about things like that."  
  
"...ja..." ludwig replied, wrapping his arms around her petite figure, albeit a little awkwardly. not that she minded, she was used to this awkwardness.  
  
even though they've been together for quite some time, ludwig had always been very awkward with skinship, and (name) was fine with it. if anything, it probably made her fall for him even more than she already had.  
  
the two stayed in each others embrace until the both of them drifted to sleep.  
  
~  
  
(name) gasped and pulled ludwig along with her. "look!" she beamed as she pointed to the sky where the fireworks of the festival was on full display. she looked at the sky with such awe and wonder that it would make anyone think that this was the first time she had seen fireworks at all. the sleeves of her yukata fluttered in the wind behind her.  
  
ludwig hung behind her and stared at her figure, her (skin colour) complexion was nicely complimented by the light pink yukata that she was wearing which was kindly given to them by their long time friend, kiku, who said that they would look lovely in it. her (hair colour) hair was pulled into a bun.  
  
the fireworks illuminated her figure as she turned around to face him with a smile.  
  
"ludwig, this is beautiful," she spoke as she grabbed his hands and pulled him beside her. "isn't it?"  
  
"ja, it is," he answered her, looking at her beaming smile and watching her stare at the sky with awe. a small but noticeable smile tugged the corners of his lips as he watched her. she may be getting weaker but the pain of her illness never affected her or her outlook on life and ludwig respected her for that. that was what drew ludwig towards her in the first place, her resilience and refusal to back down when faced with tough situations.  
  
they stayed in silence while watching the fireworks, enjoying the peace and quiet that came with it.  
  
~  
  
"mama, how have you been?" she asked, moving to sit by her mother's grave.  
  
the couple was now in france, visiting (name)'s mother's grave before moving off to visit her siblings. ludwig was familiar with her family, of course, it comes with being someone's spouse, but nevertheless, he still felt awkward being the graveyard.  
  
(name) however, was more at ease and less tense, despite being in a graveyard and she had a small smile on her face as she continued talking to her mother. she rambled on and on, not expecting a reply and simply telling her mother about what happened recently and all that jazz.  
  
ludwig never knew what happened with (name)'s father, as he never tried to ask her about her family and everything he knows about her family was told to him by either (name), her siblings or her mother herself.  
  
the day her mother died...he remembered vividly because (name) wept for a long while upon receiving the news as she wasn't able to be with her mother in the hospital. after crying, she would just spend all her time on the bed, refusing to do anything and he would sit beside her for hours on end, desperately trying to get her to eat or at least move. he was, of course, distressed about the fact that her mother left so soon, but in his mind, he had to stay strong. not for him, but for the both of them.  
  
"do you want to say anything, luddy?" (name) asked, standing up from her position and looking at him, snapping ludwig out of his trance. regaining his composure, he shook his head.  
  
"nein," he answered. "i'll just place the flowers here," he added, with (name) nodding and then walking out of the graveyard. watching her leaving form, he sighed, and bent down to do exactly as he said.  
  
"i'll make sure she makes it to you safe and sound," he mumbled, before turning around and leaving as well.  
  
~  
  
the door swung open the moment (name) finished her sentence and out came her little sister, annette, and her husband.  
  
"(name)!" annette exclaimed, gripping her hands, looking over the moon. "how have you been?" she asked, pulling her sister in and leaving the two husbands standing in the doorway.  
  
"so! ludwig, how have you been?" annette's husband asked, motioning for ludwig to enter the house.  
  
"i've been doing just fine, what about you, jean?" ludwig asked, nodding and heading in the house.  
  
"ah, i'm doing great, it's been a while since we saw each other," jean answered, chuckling. "it's also been a while since the sisters saw each other as well," he added, looking over at the two sisters who were happily chatting away.  
  
"ja," ludwig replied, turning to look at jean. "do you think we can talk over some beer?" he asked jean. jean thought for a long time before nodding.  
  
he turned to the sisters. "annette darling! i'm going to the bar with ludwig, alright?" annette let out a sound of acknowledgement as she turned to look at them.  
  
"be safe," she said before returning her gaze to (name) and continuing her conversation with her sister. jean let out a noise of acknowledgement before heading for the door, with ludwig following behind.  
  
~  
  
the two men arrived at the bar and rather quickly, found themselves a seat by the counter. ludwig ordered his usual beer while jean got himself some tequila.  
  
"nothing is better than talking over drinks," jean mused, laughing. "what did you want to talk about?"  
  
ludwig gulped down some beer before turning to look at jean. "it's about (name)," he stated, gulping down some more beer, and it looked as though he was full on ready to get drunk and just get this conversation over. jean, on the other hand, was taking his time with his drink, and he was slightly concerned with his brother-in-law's behaviour.  
  
"yea? what about sister-in-law?" jean asked, wanting to shift ludwig's attention from the beer to him. ludwig stared at him before sighing...sadly. wait, ludwig just let out a sad sigh? that was out of the ordinary for ludwig. especially for ludwig. honestly jean was getting scared.  
  
"she," ludwig paused. "she has lung cancer," he finished, gulping down more beer. jean was too stunned for words, and he believed he wasn't in the position to do anything. however, something that he could do, was to give ludwig a prep talk and maybe stop him from drinking so much to the point where he actually becomes drunk. which doesn't happen very often.  
  
"she doesn't have long to live, does she?" jean mumbled to himself as he rubbed circles on ludwig's back and gave him a little prep talk, although he knew that wouldn't be of much help.  
  
~  
  
(name) eyes lit up as she stared at the pregnancy test in between her fingers. she read the results over and over, hoping to god that she wasn't hallucinating and that she really was pregnant. after confirming to herself that it was reality, she stared blankly into the mirror before her lips tugged upwards into a smile as she rushed out of the bathroom and into her husband's office.  
  
"ludwig!" she beamed as she rushed into the room.  
  
"what is it, liebling?" ludwig said as he looked up from his paperwork. (name) cautiously approached him before placing the pregnancy test onto his desk, as she then slowly backed away, waiting for him to read what was on it. he stared at the stick that sat on his desk, surrounded by paper as his mind began to freak out.  
  
a blush crept onto his cheeks before he turned up to look at (name), who was smiling from ear to ear.  
  
"you're going to be a dad!" she said to him, tears of happiness falling over her rosy cheeks. ludwig got up from his seat and approached (name) cautiously before he embraced her. he buried his face into her collarbone as he began crying tears of happiness. she wrapped her arms around him and cried tears of happiness into his chest.  
  
the both of them pulled away and looked at each other lovingly in silence. "i'll try to be good vater," ludwig said, his voice just above a whisper.  
  
"you don't have to try, ludwig, you will be a good father," (name) smiled, pressing their foreheads together gently. "i know you will."  
  
~  
  
"mrs beilschmidt! a little more!" the doctor cried out as (name) gripped onto ludwig's hand tighter, and she gave a hard push.  
  
"i-i don't-!" (name) whimpered out as the doctor snapped to attention, motioning for every medical staff in the room to crowd around him as they prepared for the baby.  
  
ludwig kissed (name)'s forehead, as she panted beneath him, not letting go of his hand. as her panting began to dwindle, the cry of a newborn baby echoed throughout the room. it wasn't long for the newborn to be calmed down. (name) was getting more fatigued by the minute but she forced her eyes open to see her daughter, or just ludwig holding their daughter would do it for her. the corners of her lip tugged upwards to form a small smile as she watch the doctor let ludwig hold the baby.  
  
ludwig's eyes sparkled with anticipation and joy as he stared at their daughter. a small smile graced his lips as he joyfully looked at the newborn.  
  
seeing this, (name) felt her eyes closing and did nothing to force them open as she drifted in deep slumber.  
  
the monitor gave out a shrill sound as ludwig snapped his head to look at (name) who looked so peacefully asleep yet the monitor she was attached to gave off different signals. ludwig hastily thrust the newborn into the arms of the nurse in front of him as he watch the room burst into disarray.  
  
he, himself, was disoriented, between the confusion of why his wife's life was in danger and the joy of his child being born.  
  
all the medical staff in the room rushed around and they were moving left and right and all over the place as a nurse asked ludwig to exit the room as they hurriedly told him that they had "to perform an emergency surgery".  
  
ludwig's confusion increased tenfolds before he pieced two and two together. now worried rather than confused, he sat on the bench that was outside of the operating room in the now quiet and somewhat empty hospital.  
  
~  
  
ludwig sat beside (name) who was in the hospital unconscious and attached to multiple machines. he caressed her forehead softly as he stared at her motionless form.  
  
"avaleigh is growing beautifully, she took her first few steps a few weeks ago," ludwig spoke, feeling a pang of remorse and sadness when he heard no response. "gilbert came to visit yesterday, he said that he was going to be the best uncle in history, he is an idiot."  
  
"well he had to have gotten it somewhere right?" he imagined (name)'s voice speak with a chuckle. at this point, he already knew that (name) was never waking up, and he'll never hear her beautiful voice or laughter again. maybe he was in denial, maybe he was just missing her presence, either way he was still clinging to the leftover hope that maybe, just maybe, she would wake up.  
  
the heart monitor begged to differ as it let out a shrill noise, signalling to ludwig that something was wrong. immediately, he rushed to press the alert button when a group of nurses and doctors burst from the door, trying to save the life of this person. ludwig was essentially chased out as the doctors and nurses were yelling over each other.  
  
a defeated sigh escaped his lips as he sunk into the seat just outside of the room.  
  
~  
  
_"ich liebe dich," ludwig confessed as he averted his eyes from her, trying not to meet her gaze._  
  
_"...excuse me?" (name) asked, not understanding what he just said as he said it in german, a language that she was not familiar with. ludwig's heart pounded against his ribcage, feeling as through it was going to leap out at any moment._  
  
_"...i said i love you..." he responded, his blush deepening, making it super obvious against his pale skin. (name) stared at him for a while before laughing softly._  
  
_"you're so cute when you're so flustered," she commented, causing ludwig to snap his head to meet her gaze. silence laid dormant between the two of them._  
  
_"i love you too," she confessed as well, this time eyes being casted to the ground as she nervously fiddled with her fingers. "i have for a long time i just..." her voice trailed off as she felt herself being embraced. happy tears rolled down her cheeks as she gladly returned the hug, happy that everything — although awkward at first — worked out in the end._  
  
~  
  
_listen, since the thread is still bound on to me_  
_you will see, it won't fall apart so easily_  
_we will meet sometime again, this is what promises are about_  
_no doubt..._  
  
~epilogue~  
  
germany walked the streets of berlin, because he wanted to see his citizens commuting about, and because he was bored at home. mostly because he was bored at home. even with someone like prussia with him, he was still able to find himself bored.  
  
as he strolled around the city, he bumped into a female, causing her to let out a surprised sound. he backed up immediately and apologised in his mother tongue profusely. his shirt was drenched in coffee. the female apologised profusely in german as well. he took in her appearance. (hair colour) (hair length) hair with bright (eye colour) eyes. why did she look to familiar to him?  
  
"i'm such a klutz, uh," she stuttered in german, before meeting eye to eye with the nation. "as a sign of apology, why don't i treat you to lunch?" she asked, smiling softly at him. "that is to make up for the coffee i spilled onto your shirt."  
  
"no, that wouldn't be-" he responded in german before being cut off by the female.  
  
"i insist!" she exclaimed. with a defeated sigh, germany allowed himself to be treated lunch by a lady who he barely even knew. or did he know her from a past life already? maybe that would explain the comfortable air between them.


End file.
